A Birthday Wish
by D-chi
Summary: This is a birthday fic for Vincent, taking place a few months after Advent Children. It will be VincentTifa later on. R&R please!
1. Vincent's Present

Disclaimer: I own pretty much nothing.

A/N: It's October 13th, so I decided to write a birthday fic for Vincent. I hope you like it! It takes place a little after Advent Children. I will probably continue this fic if you review and ask me to.

(Ugh, I feel like the worst, most incompetent Vincent fan ever! I didn't even plan ahead for this fic!)

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Vincent lay sleeping peacefully in his bed, the light streaming in through the window with an ethereal luminosity. It caressed his face like a mother's gentle hands, softly coaxing his eyes open. It was on days like these that he was glad to be far away from the Shinra mansion, the forlorn prison which had held him captive for three decades. He was visiting the slowly-growing orphanage near Midgar, as per Tifa's request. Slowly sitting up, he looked around the guest room. It was lightly furnished, having in it a bed, a dresser, a small night table, and a chair tucked neatly under it. 

Feeling rested, he got up, washed his face in the adjoining bathroom, and got dressed in his usual attire. As he walked into the hall, Marlene ran up to him and hugged his legs.

"Vincent!" she chirped happily. "Happy birthday!" She smiled up at him brightly, still clinging to him.

He looked down at her, perplexed. What day was it? He looked at the calendar hanging on the wall, which had been put together and decorated by Tifa and the children. Indeed, it was open to the October page arbitrarily decorated with pumpkins, ghosts, and the like, and the next box to be X-ed was the one with the small 13 in the corner. Forgetting his birthday somehow didn't surprise him; time had become rather irrelevant to him, as he hadn't aged in over thirty years. Still, today was his "thirtieth" birthday.

"Vincent?" Marlene tugged on his cape, still demanding his attention.

"Yes, Marlene?" he asked quietly, still a bit tired.

"Here's your present," she said, giving him a small box wrapped in light-blue paper.

He took the box carefully, not wanting to damage whatever was in it. "Thank you, Marlene," he said, almost smiling.

Marlene let out a giggle. "It's from all of us: Tifa and Denzel and me and–"

"Ah, I see," he said, before she could list the name of every single child she could think of living in the orphanage. "Well, I'll have to thank everyone today for the gift."

Grinning, she let go of him and ran down the stairs, her mission completed. He looked down at the lightweight parcel he held, curious about what was in it. Walking back into his room, he decided to open it. He sat at the desk and removed the wrapping paper, then opened the box. What he saw made his expression soften slightly. It was a picture book containing various photos taken over the past two or three years. As he flipped through it, he saw pictures of him talking with Tifa, him with Marlene, Marlene and Denzel playing under his cape, the children all running around together, several more with Tifa and Marlene in them with the children, and even one or two with Marlene hugging Cloud. The book was titled "Our Family".

He set the book down on the desk. He was part of their "family"? He had never truly considered himself to be a part of them, usually keeping to himself, and living in the Shinra mansion by himself. Occasionally, he would visit them, but even then never really got involved in any activities. Even leaving the orphanage to go outside required persistent yet ever-patient coaxing from Tifa.

He left the room after setting the book down on the table. He almost ran into Tifa, who was about to knock on the door. Regaining his composure quickly, he watched Tifa laugh embarrassedly.

"Good morning, Vincent!" she said.

He nodded. "Good morning, Tifa. Thank you for the gift."

Tifa smiled. "You're welcome, Vincent. I'm really glad you like it." She looked up at him, still smiling radiantly. He loved when she looked like that, so relaxed and happy; she was a picture of what he could never be.

"Well, I should get going," she said. "I have a lot to do today. You're welcome to stay as long as you like."

"Thank you, Tifa," he said. He hated to be a burden to her, but since she always ended up convincing him to stay longer, he figured spending a little while longer here wouldn't hurt.

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A/N: Well, is it worth finishing? Review and tell me! I'm not really satisfied with this chapter, but I was rushing, so I hope it's all right for now. 


	2. Cake time!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, as usual.

A/N: I'm so ashamed of how I ended the last chapter so badly. Really, I could've done better, but I was in a major hurry to end it. I want to cry. I promise I'll try harder! Anyway, I've been suffering from major writer's block. Also, I've been busy with the opera we put on at school (for chorus), so I haven't had any free time, and the hurricane knocked out our power (Thank goodness for generators!). School's been a real pain in general, actually. But now I'm back!

P. S. If you put this story on your favorites/alert lists, I'll be more inclined to keep going. I mean, either way I'm going to finish it, but without your encouragement, it'll be a very, VERY long time between updates. So if you love it, let me know! Many thanks to those of you who reviewed. I seriously love you guys.

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Vincent was curious as to what Tifa was up to. She and Marlene had been running around all day, frequently giggling and whispering behind his back. He was just about to go find to Tifa to ask her what was going on when she came up to him and said, "Vincent, could you come to the living room for a sec?"

"All right," he said, figuring that this probably had something to do with the giggles and whispers. Vincent followed her into the living room. What he found there probably shouldn't have surprised him, but it did.

The room was pitch-black. Thanks to his heightened senses, he could discern several small figures in the darkness, presumably the children. Suddenly, someone turned on the lights and everyone yelled, "Surprise! Happy birthday, Vincent!"

Vincent's eyes widened slightly. "Um, what is this?" he asked.

Marlene laughed. "It's a surprise party, silly!"

"A… surprise party?" Vincent tilted his head slightly.

"Yeah! Haven't you ever been to one?" she asked.

"Hmm, not that I can recall," Vincent pondered.

"Hey, Vincent, wanna cut the cake?" asked Tifa.

"Okay," he answered.

"All right! Everybody, get around the table, we're gonna sing Happy Birthday!" she called. Everyone crowded around the table that had a small cake on it. They all sang an out-of-tune Happy Birthday to Vincent as he stood in the midst of them, watching their cheerful faces. When they finished the song, they cheered and beamed at Vincent. He looked back at them, confused as to why they were staring at him expectantly.

"Vincent," provided Tifa, "aren't you going to blow out the candles?" She gestured to the candles burning quietly on the cake. A short while before, the children had searched the house, but had only been able to find three candles. They'd figured that it was close enough to thirty to be presentable.

Vincent nodded, but just as he was taking a breath, Marlene cried out, "Don't forget to make a wish! Ooh, but don't say it out loud, or it won't come true!"

Vincent thought for a few moments, then took a silent, deep breath and blew all the candles out. The children cheered again.

"Yay!" shouted Marlene. "You did it all in one breath. Now your wish will come true!"

Vincent's usually somber face showed signs of amusement at the young child's mirth.

He looked around the small, yet cozy, room at all the children smiling brightly and laughing with one another. His scarlet eyes rested on one particularly radiant face, seemingly oblivious to his gaze as she searched for the knife to cut the cake with. It was that of Miss Tifa Lockheart's. Against all odds, his heart warmed at the sight.

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A/N: Think for putting up with me. Read and review, please! 


	3. Reflections

Disclaimer: Still don't own anything. Still poor.

A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed! I'm so sorry for... not updating for over 2 years. Things happened, I lost confidence in my writing ability… you can imagine the rest. Well, I've decided to try again. Wish me luck!

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As Vincent lay on his bed later that night, he recounted the events of the day in his mind. As much as content as he was with his solitude, he made an effort to socialize with the others. Today had been a particularly amusing day for him, even bordering on fun. Vincent smiled ever so slightly as he recalled the games they had played that day in honor of his birthday. Marlene had insisted that they do something after they had cake, and so they all ended up playing a surprisingly wild game of Hide-and-Seek. There had been much chasing, shrieking, and laughter; Vincent's training as a Turk came in handy as he stealthily hid from the children. He did eventually come out of hiding and allow them to catch him, of course. As for the other adults in the house, Cloud had been out on a delivery, but Tifa joined them in their game.

_Tifa…_

Earlier that day, when they'd sung Happy Birthday to him, as he'd looked around the room, his eyes came to rest on Tifa, as spirited as he'd ever seen her as she sang along with the young children. She seemed happy in this peaceful setting among the children. Perhaps she had never truly belonged on the battlefield. Yet there was something about her, the way she seemed so lighthearted and strong… strong enough for everyone to depend on. This was a kind of strength he did not feel that he possessed.

Granted, everyone took for granted his physical abilities, not to mention the abilities of Chaos, who dwelled inside him. However, no one had ever truly ever trusted him enough to depend on him in the way that they did with Tifa, and truth be told, he preferred it this way. Heaven knows what would happen if anyone ever got close to him. Actually, he did know, firsthand, and he did not want to risk that kind of pain again. Allowing someone to become precious to him… and losing them… That was not an option.

It was best to put these silly thoughts of others aside for now.

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A/N: Wow. Okay. I did it! Super tiny, but still there! Send plot suggestions. I vow to finish this story. Reviews of encouragement are also appreciated!! 


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